Freudian Slip
by TickerTapeParade
Summary: Sometimes a slip of the tongue can reveal what, or who, is really on someone's mind. Mercy learns this the hard way.


"Jack 'n Ace. Ah win again," McCree tossed his cards on the table, his southern drawl filled with smug satisfaction.

Everyone else playing let out a collective groan. McCree just leaned back with his arms crossed, a wide grin on his face.

There were several other people gathered around the table, including Angela Ziegler, Winston, Lena Oxton, Hana Song, Jesse McCree, Mei-Ling Zhou, Jack Morrison, Lúcio Correia dos Santos, and Fareeha Amari.

"That's the third time in a row." Hana grumbled.

"Gotta learn t'play your cards right." McCree taunted. Hana glared back at him, pouting.

"Hana's right." Jack said, stretching as he rose to his feet. "That's enough blackjack for today. I'm feeling like a movie is in order. Who's in?"

"Ooo, we should watch that new thriller!" Mei piped up. _"Mummy 3: Ghost of Cleopatra!"_

There was a general murmur of assent to the idea, and Mei's face was filled with delight. Angela was especially keen on the idea. A movie about Egypt would surely provide plenty of chances to impress Fareeha with her knowledge. Angela had spent the past few weeks studying, but conversations with Fareeha hadn't come close to touching the subject.

As they got up to leave, Fareeha walked over to join Angela.

"You going to watch the movie?" She asked nonchalantly.

Angela felt her face starting to warm, and her stomach flutter as she turned to face Fareeha. No matter how many times she talked with her, Fareeha never failed to make her flustered. Even just seeing her made Angela nervous.

"Yeah, I like things from Egypt." She said dumbly.

She realized immediately how phenomenally stupid that sounded, so she gave herself a mental slap for saying something so dense. Embarrassed, she stammered trying to return the question.

"Don't hurt yourself," laughed Fareeha. Angela's face flushed.

"As for the movie, unfortunately I can't come." Fareeha said with disappointment. "I've got training to get to, and I promised Zarya I'd spot her."

Though she did her best to hide it, Angela's face fell. Of all the rotten luck. But despite how let down she felt, she told herself it wasn't the end of the world. There would be other opportunities.

"Guess I'll see you later then," Angela said, giving Fareeha a small smile and a wave.

"Later!" Fareeha returned the wave goodbye, a wide grin on her face.

Angela watched her walk away for a moment, before turning to catch up with the others. She caught up quickly, falling in line beside Winston, who gave her a silent nod in greeting. Mere minutes later they had arrived at the base's theatre.

"I got dibs on the recliner!" Lúcio shouted, sprinting ahead of everyone.

He burst through the double doors, practically flying to the leather chair. If Angela didn't know better, she could've sworn his feet didn't even touch the ground.

The rest of them entered in a more orderly fashion. Angela found herself sitting in the middle of a long couch, in between Hana and Mei. On the couch to her left was Jack, Winston, and Lena. McCree must have left while she was talking with Fareeha, because he was nowhere to be found. After a short search, Mei had found the movie.

As the lights dimmed and the movie began to play, Angela pushed any thoughts she had about Fareeha to the side, and did her best to focus on enjoying the movie.

* * *

The movie came to an end, and the lights came back on. Angela blinked her eyes several times as her eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness. Several people stood up and stretched, their muscles stiff from remaining still for so long.

"That was fantastic! Great idea luv," Lena winked, giving Mei a thumps up. Mei beamed.

"Ehhh, it could've been better." Angela said.

"Whatever do you mean, luv?" Lena asked, confused.

"I mean, it made a good thriller, but it was rife with historical inaccuracy." She pointed out. She looked around the room, and saw faces filled with varying degrees of perplexity. Winston was the only exception; he was giving her two thumbs up. His encouraging grin prompted her to continue.

"For instance, Pharaohs weren't always buried in pyramids. Many were buried in secret locations in the Valley of Kings. This was because pyramids proved to be easy targets for grave robbers." Angela explained.

"Since when were you so interested in Egypt?" Inquired Hana, popping a piece of gum into her mouth.

"Er…" Angela blushed again, trying to think of a convincing reason. Thankfully she was saved from giving an answer by Lúcio.

"Yo, how sick was the music during the fight with Cleopatra? I think I just found the perfect track for my next remix!" He said, excitement plain on his face.

Angela saw her chance for escape and took it.

"While the music was quite good, Cleopatra was not a sorcerer. There's no such thing. She was known by all to be a great beauty, no magic necessary." She informed him.

"I thought that was just a myth," Lúcio said, kicking back into the recliner.

"Well, we don't know for sure what she looked like, and attractiveness is subjective anyway," Angela spoke like a scholar. "But ancient Roman sources refer to how gorgeous Queen Fareeha was during-"

"Wait, hold on. What was her name?" Jack interrupted, a mysterious grin on his face.

"Cleopatra," Angela repeated, somewhat puzzled.

"Really?" Hana sported the same grin as Jack. She blew a bubble before continuing. "Cause that's not what I heard."

Completely mystified, Angela scoured her brain for some kind of a clue. The only person she had been talking about for the past few minutes was Cleopatra. It seemed far to spontaneous to be some sort of elaborate prank. They were also clearly referring to something she had just said, so that narrowed it down to how beautiful-

Her eyes went wide as comprehension dawned on her. Embarrassment flooded through her body, bringing a bright red flush to her face. She was struck dumb, feeling the judging stares from everyone in the room.

"That was perhaps the most incredible Freudian slip I have ever heard." Winston smirked, pushing his glasses up on his face.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about." Angela stammered.

"Aww, don't be embarrassed Angela." Mei put a hand on her shoulder. "So, how long have you been dating?"

Angela recoiled from Mei in surprise, her blush growing deeper. She blanked for a few moments before she found her voice.

"W-we're not dating." She said, a twinge of sadness in her voice. Her head hung low. "She doesn't even know."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have assumed…" Mei apologized, before her face lit up. "But hey, look at it this way! You're not dating…yet." She finished with an audible wink.

"Yeah, chin up, luv! Why, you should march on down there right now, and ask her out," Lena encouraged.

Angela stared at her, horrified.

"Are you crazy? I can't do that!" She dismissed vehemently.

"Why not?" Questioned Jack.

"What if she says no? What if she thinks it's unnatural? What if she never wants to talk to me again? What if-"

"Oh c'mon," Lúcio interrupted her paranoid rambling. "This is Fareeha we're talking about. I'm sure-"

"What are you sure about?"

Lúcio had been cut off by the sound of the theatre doors opening. As though she had come at the sound of her name, in walked Fareeha. All conversation in the room dropped immediately. Angela gulped.

"Hiya Fareeha!" Said Hana. "We were wondering if you'd come back for the next movie."

"I just came to check and see if you were all still here." She shrugged. "Looks pretty full, though."

She was turning to leave when Mei spoke up.

"You can have my spot; I was just leaving." She hopped off the couch, leaving the cushion beside Angela empty.

"Are you sure? You don't have to leave on my account." Fareeha said, raising an eyebrow.

"It's no trouble." Mei reassured her. "I have some maintenance to do on Snowball anyway."

She walked past Fareeha and to the exit. However, just before she opened the doors, she turned her head and gave Angela a wink. And then she was out, and making her way down the hall.

Fareeha opted to take the shorter route, vaulting over the couch and landing seated on the cushion. She gave a polite greeting to everyone, pulling the hood down from the sweater she was wearing. She gave her head a quick shake, freeing her jet black hair to splay out over her shoulders.

"So, what're we watching?" Fareeha asked, rubbing her hands together in anticipation.

"Oh, we were gonna watch _The Exorcist._ " Lena said with a devilish grin.

Angela gave Lena an odd look. She was usually the first to groan whenever Gabriel suggested a horror movie. Lena must have noticed her perplexity, because she gave Angela a suggestive eyebrow wiggle when their gazes met. More confused than before, Angela turned her attention back to the screen.

For the first part of the movie, not much of anything happened. As much as she tried to pay attention to the movie, she kept turning over Lena's decision in her head. Her spontaneity was not unusual, but something still seemed off. Like she had some ulterior motive behind her choice.

Something solid bumped into her side. Slightly startled, she whipped her head around to see that Hana had deliberately shifted closer, close enough to make Angela move if she wanted space. She slid over, somewhat taken aback.

Not even a minute later she felt Hana bump into her again. Annoyed, she gave her a hard look. Hana seemed unperturbed by this, countering Angela's vexed expression with a sly wink. Apparently, she had gone to the same school of crypticism as Lena. With an exasperated sigh, she slid over once again…

…Only to find herself side to side with Fareeha.

Angela felt her face warm up considerably. Everything that had happened suddenly made a lot more sense. She was as rigid as stone, unsure whether it was more awkward to move away or stay where she was.

In the midst of her panic, she felt something beside her. A bolt of electricity shot through her as a hand fell on her shoulder, pulling her closer until she was pressed right up against Fareeha's side. To her surprise and delight, Fareeha's arm was around her. She snuggled up close, the warmth from her face spreading throughout her body.

They remained that way for the rest of the movie. To Angela, the movie was happening in the background, and hardly worth paying attention to. As far as she was concerned, the world in that moment consisted of only her and Fareeha. She would've been content to stay that way for the rest of her life. Fareeha shifted slightly.

Angela turned to look at her, only to find that their faces were mere centimetres apart. Angela felt her face begin to burn up. Even in the dark, she could see that Fareeha also had a deep red colouring to her cheeks.

Slowly, almost imperceptibly so, they started leaning closer. Angela could hear Fareeha's quiet breathing. Their eyes were locked together. The distance between them shrank to almost nothing. She could feel Fareeha's hot breath on her face. Angela shut her eyes, and closed the distance between them.

The kiss was sweet and gentle, and Fareeha's lips were soft. She let her mind go and sunk into it. She was on cloud 9, her heart melted with joy. Angela felt Fareeha starting to push firmly but tenderly against her lips. She gave in gladly.

She found herself falling backwards, and she was soon lying on her back. Fareeha was on top of her, still kissing her passionately. Content, Angela threw her arms around Fareeha and held her close.

"Ahem." Someone cleared their throat.

Startled by the realization that there were in fact still people around, they scrambled in a panic to get to a less compromising position. Their attempts were in vain; the movie had ended long ago. The others were all looking at them with amused expressions.

"Did you enjoy the movie?" Lena asked rhetorically, humorous smirk plain on her face.

While the others burst out laughing, the two women on the couch grimaced in embarrassment. They were surely in for no small about of teasing. With pleading eyes, Angela looked to Jack for help. He gave her a small nod.

"Alright, time to go everyone. Let's give Angela and 'Cleopatra' some time alone." Jack said.

Angela could hear the grin in his voice.

"Fine. See you lovebirds later!" Hana winked as she walked out with the others.

For a second she felt the embarrassment welling up inside her again. But before she could do anything, she found herself being spun around. Fareeha looked at her with half lidded eyes, before pulling her into a deep kiss.

One moment later Fareeha pulled away, looking preoccupied with something. Her brow furrowed in confusion, before she turned and looked at Angela with an eyebrow raised.

"Cleopatra?" She asked.

"I'll tell you later." Angela giggled, before pulling Fareeha in again for another kiss.


End file.
